Many fishing floats that are manufactured today have a tendency to become detached from the fishing line at the time when the person fishing jerks the line in an upward movement, in an attempt to set the hook in the mouth of a fish. If the float becomes detached from the line, in many situations the float becomes lost. If a person is fishing from the bank or shore, retrieving the float may be impossible. Even when a person is fishing from a boat, retrieving the float can cause problems.
Typical of a fishing float in the prior art is the invention by V. J. Schneider, U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,346. Schneider discloses a fishing float which has a relatively long stem which, in normal operation, sits vertically in the water, being supported by a floatable bobber. A slot is located in the end of this stem, the end that would normally be below water. The longitudinal portion of the slot is oriented along the longitudinal axis of the stem, and the lateral portion connects to the longitudinal portion at a perpendicular angle. The lateral portion extends inwardly from the outer diameter of the stem through approximately one-half of the stem's diameter and communicates with the longitudinal portion at about the stem's center. The longitudinal portion extends from the lateral portion in a direction away from the floatable bobber toward the lower end of the stem.
To use the Schneider float, the fishing line is inserted into the slot at the point where the lateral portion reaches the outer diameter of the stem, pushed through the lateral portion and into the longitudinal portion, so that it fits near the bottom of the longitudinal portion. When the fishing line is jerked by the person fishing, it tends to ride up the longitudinal portion and, rather than riding up into the small upper portion of the slot which is aligned with the longitudinal portion, it frequently travels out through the lateral portion. When that occurs, the fishing float becomes detached from the fishing line, and the float is either lost, or must be retrieved.
The Schneider float is supposed to retain the fishing line in the slot. Unfortunately, practical experience gained by the actual use of fishing floats of the type disclosed by Schneider indicates that the fishing line often does slide out of the lateral portion, and does not continue upwardly into the small upper portion of the slot.